One of Palm Beach Island’s most exclusive estates is open for the public to tour and to learn about the history of Palm Beach and the fabulous Gilded Age.  The Flagler Museum, formerly known as Whitehall, was home to Henry M. Flagler and his wife Mary. Flagler was an American Industrialist, one of the founders of Standard Oil, and one of Palm Beach Island’s founders.

The famous Palm Beach landmark features more than 100,000 square feet filled with some of the most important history of Palm Beach and the Gilded Age.  The estate was commissioned by Flagler to be a winter home for himself and his wife Mary as a wedding gift in 1902. The estate served as the couple’s winter retreat until his death in 1913.

The grand estate was commissioned to John Carrere and Thomas Hastings by Flagler to design and built the home. Hastings and Carrere were the architects for other landmarks around the country such as the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City and the New York Public Library during the Gilded Age.

The grand Palm Beach estate features giant white marble columns on the exterior with a red barrel roof along the intracoastal. The estate features a large courtyard, two stories plus an attic and basement, 10 antique clocks that are still working today, the original iron fence built in 1901, and more than 75 rooms.

Today, the estate is open to visitors for tours of the grand estate, estate grounds, the Flagler Kenan Pavilion, Flagler’s Railcar No.91, The Museum Shop, and The Exhibition Gallery. Tickets can be purchased online. The Museum is currently open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm, and Sunday 12 pm to 5 pm.

To purchase tickets, click here.